vindaloo

Had a bit of a gap year(s) after my 6Y0 Fabia VRS got totaled in December 2023. Finally bit the bullet and got another car. A 2025 SEAT Ibiza 1.0 TSi 95. It is NOT a performance car but it tootles around quite capably and seems quite tractable. 50+MPG on longer runs (more than 15-20 miles).

Probably better off blanking out the lower grille. It still won't heat up very quickly in winter though. You'd need the BLT with the water cooled EGR for that.

Almost certainly a locking tab somewhere that needs flicking or pulling. The connector will have been dusted and sprayed with all sorts of crap over the years so lashings of WD40 or similar might help. For cheap alternatives, ALIEXPRESS....

That seems a lot better than most. A lighter car and both a turbo and a hybrid. I note that the current MHEV offerings appear to be non-turbo with a stratospheric compression ratio and a CVT transmission.

A mate pointed out "at present they are ULEZ compliant". Will the goal posts get moved? Depends on the political will, I suppose.

Not so much dismissive of the concept. Just the idea that a powertrain suitable back in the day for a Daihatsu Charade GTti, is similar in size to an engine pulling around 1.2-1.5 tonnes of modern safety barge.

It's the latest lot of 1.0 litres I'm most sceptical about. "That can't be an engine, it's tiny.... Is it of Swiss manufacture? Only they do that small, Is it some kind of clock?"

Thanks for the thoughts and comments, guys. Realistically, I need a car I can take into London without paying pesky ULEZ. So that rules out pretty much all Fabia 6Ys. Not sure on some Petrol models but none of the diesels comply. MPG of modern petrol turbos seem quite remarkable, though I'm greatly sceptical of the miniature engines. Broadly focussing on 1.4-1.6 turbo petrol cars with decent practically that aren't huge. So Golf, Leon, Focus, Astra etc.

My Fabia was hit by someone pulling out from a T junction last Saturday around 12:15PM. I'm fine, had the good fortune to be hit within 300-400 yards of a pub/restaurant that did nice pots of tea. And the misfortune to be nowhere near any place I knew anyone. RAC lorry arrived 17:20-17:30. Me and car home before 19:00. Was always going to be a write-off. Front wing, both doors and rear wing dented. Front wheel tilted over at a nasty angle and the A pillar bent so the passenger door didn't sit true any more. Car has gone to Synetiq at South Mims. Currently on the prowl for a new motor. Have a 1.4TSI Golf for the next 4 days to aid me in that. J.

On mine, one of the adjusters is still in the house. The plastic got worn away off the shaft. Two things... Load the boot with lots of stuff and see if the headlight aim goes up or adjusts. All else fails there is a decent tolerance in the two torx screws holding the top of the headlight. Loosen, push backwards at the top front of the headlight as you re-tighten. Every little helps, etc....

It is a RHD/LHD car thing. The passenger side is slightly smaller because it doesn't need the blind spot mirror part. Parts for UK cars should be 6Y2 prefix. Parts number start 6Y2857502xx. The "xx" denotes revisions and whether it's fully electric or manually controlled. From here: https://skoda.7zap.com/en/cz/fabia/fab/2005-453/8/857-857040/ I can only find manual "big" right side mirrors outside of used parts on eBay. Most of the parts sites offer LHD (6Y1 prefix) parts.

Pull one of the rear clusters out and check for voltage at the contacts on the bulb holder. Use a weight, krooklock or spouse to hold the brake pedal down. Multimeter, if you have one, or a £2-£10 circuit tester from Amazon. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Circuit-Testers/b?ie=UTF8&node=1938316031 Just in case, bulbs should be P21W or 382 model, single filament. Similar to these. https://www.halfords.com/motoring/bulbs/382-p21w-car-bulb-plus-25-percent-longer-life-halfords-twin-pack-717565.html

I'd have said there's not an awful lot of scope having looked at a wiring diagram. Feed goes through the ignition switch, to F13 in the fuse box, then on to the reversing light switch. It just goes to the rear lamps and earths after that. The car must know though. As the rear wiper activates if you plonk it into reverse. Pull fuse 13, see if it stops?

Electrics probably. A knackered fuse somewhere or a dodgy earth possibly. Reversing light switch or any installed parking sensors maybe.

Even WD40 applied vigorously might shift the dots. I'm unsure if that's the extent of it though. Almost like there's a large sidelight bulb (dim dip) that's reflecting the headlight beam upwards. Or maybe an LED dim-dip that also reflecting and putting out many more lumens than a bog standard bulb.